Kehillah 2007 Updates

July 11th, 2007 - Searching For a Shared Purpose in the Galilee

Shalom Nesiya Parents and Friends,

When last we caught up with our intrepid heroes, they were in the midst of arts workshops reflecting on their impressions of the desert. They shared their artistic expressions on Monday afternoon during a celebratory 'Happening.' On Monday evening the groups then left Har Ha’Negev for a Bedouin tent sleep-out, and a hands-on introduction to Bedouin culture, hospitality and, most of all, cuisine!

A visit on Tuesday to Ben Gurion’s grave, and a discussion of Judaism and Zionism stemming from the desert experience concluded their time in the Negev. The groups then continued their upward trek, traveling north. They stopped at a beach near Caesaria in the afternoon for some R&R, before settling into the Galilee (northern) region of Israel, where they will enjoy the (slightly) cooler temperatures after a week in the desert.

Today all three groups began their time in the Galilee region of Israel, where they embarked upon the next unit of the program, “Searching for a Shared Purpose in History”. The opening activity for this unit had participants investigating various models of community represented in the history of northern Israel, where Rabbis and pioneers developed very different forms of Jewish culture (their approaches, although radically different, were both inspired by a passionate concern for the collective future of the Jewish people, and stressed the critical importance of individual responsibility for the life of the community).

Over the next few days, participants will be visiting different sites to learn more about these models. On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, the groups will be alternating between four different sites, including: 1) a serious exploration of Tzippori, where they'll learn about the rabbinic community of the 2nd century and be guided around Roman and rabbinic archeological sites (including the amphitheater, a Roman villa, and synagogue ruins with depictions of the zodiac signs); 2) Tzfat, where they'll discover mystical Judaism, including meeting Avraham Leventhal, a kabbalist artist; 3) a visit to Chavat Kinneret and the Kinneret cemetery, where they'll explore the roots of the kibbutz movement and learn about secular Zionism and the role of the avodah (work) movment in the establishment of the State of Israel; and, 4) a visit to a modern kibbutz to better understand the status of today's kibbutz movement. I'll update you more about your children's responses to these adventures at the beginning of next week.

As I write your children are preparing a BBQ dinner on the shores of the Kinneret, where they'll be sleeping out! Tonight they're also reading excerpts from “Night of the Twentieth” – a play about a group of young people who have left behind their families in Europe and question what kind of new Jewish community they should be developing in the land of Israel. This play will serve as basis for a workshop next week, led by veteran Nesiya arts-educator and theater artist, Michal Kaplan.

For those parents who have not yet spotted their children in photographs, I understand why you are disappointed. By way of explanation, there are over 115 North American and Israeli teenagers participating in the program, and it is difficult to ensure that every one of them gets their photo taken. The staff, who are generally the ones armed with the camera, do try to capture everyone in their element, but their first priority is in ensuring that the program is running smoothly and the participants are enjoying themselves. This emphasis on one-on-one attention may preclude getting in photo opportunities. All that notwithstanding, we’ll continue to try and get everyone on film; please do try and bear with us.

I'll be heading up to join the groups tomorrow, so unable to respond to your emails until Sunday. If anything is urgent, please call the Nesiya office in Jerusalem (011-972-2-561-1996), or the emergency numbers we gave you.

b'shalom,
Mollie